Synchronous controller



Dec. 4, J J ALL SYNCHRONOUS CONTROLLER Filed March 25, 1950 INVENTOR JOHN J. ALLES BY z frtoramzvs Cam 63 of unit B has traveled through a portion of its arc of movement and is so positioned that it has moved the contact 42 into engagement with contact 29. Inasmuch as the relay in unit B is now energized, a hot feed is provided to the amber light through wire 55, armature 54, contact 43, wire 44, contacts 42, 29, and wire 3|. Relay 56 in unit B is energized through wire 52, armature 50, contact I00, wire IOI, wire I08, movable contact I45, stationary contact I58, wire I59 and, from coil 56 to the common side 20, through wire I28. Wire I59 is also connected to coil I60 of motor 10. Accordingly, the motor is energized and is operating to effect rotation of cam 63, which has just shifted the movable contact 42 from contact 28 to contact 29, effecting a shift from the green signal I3 to the amber signal I4 of unit B.

The gear housings 12, 13 are each provided with radially extending projections I20, and the respective units are provided with detents I2I, I22 normally engaging the projections I and being withdrawn from engagement therewith by the respective solenoid coils I25, I26. The 'coil I26-is connected to the'wire I28 and the coil I25 to the wire I29. The opposite side of coil I25 is connected through wire I to the feed wire 3| for the amber lamp I4 on street B. The other side of the coil I26 is connected through wire I'3I to the feed wire 21 of the amber lamp I I for street A. Accordingly, inasmuch as amber lamp I4 on street B is illustrated as energized, the coil I25 is likewise energized, moving the detent I2I out of engagement with the projections I20 on gear housing 12.

The reduction gearing in the housings 12, 13 is of the planetary type and functions when the housings are held against rotation of effect rotation of the cam shafts by the respective motors. Due to the relatively great reduction in the gearing arranged in each of the housings 12,

13, the housings are in practical effect, insofar as retrograde movement is concerned, coupled to the respective shafts 66, 61. Accordingly, when the shafts 66, 61 have been rotated through their cycle or are of movement by their respective motors against the tension of the springs 90, 93, and thereupon the detents I2I, I22 are withdrawn from the projections I20, the housings 12, 13, and their associated shafts 66, '61 are rotated backwards by the springs 90, 93. Shaft 66 has been so rotated by its spring and the backward movement arrested, by the engagement with a stop 86 of the ear 83 of a disc 80 secured to the shaft. A similar disc 8|, car 84 and stop 81 are provided for unit B. As explained in my said prior patent, the stops 86, 81 are adjustable to vary the duration of the green signals.

It will be noted that the motor coil I60 of timer motor 10 of unit B is connected on one side to wire I28 and main 20 and on its other side to wire I59. By contrast, whereas one side of motor coil I53 of timer motor 69 is connected to wire I29 and main 20, the other side of motor coil I 53 is connected by wire I15 to stationary contacts I16, I11; The latter contacts are energized, respectively, by movable contacts I18, I19 which are connected in parallel to wire I52 and thence to relay 53 and stationary contact I5I. I Contact I18 is the armature of a make-andb reak device diagrammaticallyindicated as consisting of a disc I80 carrying a plurality of radially projecting elements I 8|. Armature I18 I cycle, whatever it may be.

4 is normally biased to open circuit position and is repeatedly moved to engage contact I16 by the elements I BI upon rotation of disc I The latter may be driven, through reduction gearing I82, by a synchronous motor I 83, the coil I84 of which is shown connected across the mains for continuous operation. Contact I19 is likewise biased to normally open position and is moved to engage contact I11 upon energization of relay I which, as indicated, is connected by wire I86 to main 20.

When, now, cam 63 of unit B advances to the point of causing the insulating member I39 carried by element 42 to engage set-screw I40 and disengage element I45 from contact I58, the circuit of relay coil 56 is broken and element 54 dropped into engagement with contact I05. Thereupon, the amber light of unit B is extinguished, the circuit of its red light is completed' and, through wire I06, wire I50, contact I5I and wire I29, current is suppliedto energize the relay coil 53 of unit A' and raise element 011' its red light contact" I 00 (extinguishing that light) into engagement with contact 40 to'complete the green light circuit of unit A.

Even though wire I52 is now live, it will be noted that the motor coil I53 of timer motor 69 is not energized until one of the elements I8I' carried by disc I80 closes the switch I18, I16.

Such closure serves to energize holding coil I85 of switch I19, I11 so that a holding circuit for switch I19, I11 is established and through which the end of its travel, after successively extinguishing the green' light I0, lighting the amber light II and, finally, breaking the circuit of relay coil 53 to extinguish the amber light of unit A, il-

luminate the red light of unit A and coincidently, complete the green light circuit of unit 3 It will be apparent that while the green light of unit A is illuminated in immediate response to the coming on of the red light of unit B andeven though wire I52 is rendered live at the same time, the starting of timer motor 69 of unit A has to wait upon the closure of switch I18, I16 by the synchronizer. That is to say,'while the green light cycle of unit A is initiated by unit B, its duration (which is dependent upon the operation of .motor 69) is determined by theprecise timing of the synchronizer. Obviously, also, the controller is thus synchronized once in every As described in my said prior patent, the adjustment of stops '86, 81 to vary the green signals can be efiected by suitable knobs movable over scales calibrated in" seconds; and the durations of the amber signals can likewisebe effected by similar knobs move screws I40.

The short, equal intervals at which the makeand-break device operates may conveniently be 1 referred to as sub-multiples of the time cycle of the controller. In practice, the time cycle of the controller .is established (that is, manually adjusted inthe manner described) to a total slightly less than an. actual multiple of the speed of opswitch I18, I16 atfive secondintervals. If, then forty-seven seconds, the synchronizer would actually start up unit A motor at the fifty second contact by one of the elements I8I. Or, for example, if the controller cycle were set for sixtytwo seconds, the synchronizer would delay the start of motor 69 of unit A until the sixty-five second contact had been made by one of the elements I8I. trol by the synchronizer prevents the accumulation of such minor variations in timing as may result from mechanical causes in the units themselves.

In the use of the controller, the required manual setting of the time cycle at a figure-j slightly less than an actual multiple of the speed of operation of the make-and-break device can: readily be accomplished by an instruction, call-f ing for the setting of the cycle at a figure, say. three seconds less than that actually required} for the green light on street A. I 1' While, for clarity of illustration, two separate; switches I18, I16 and I19, I11 have been shownf in the diagram, it will be apparent that the make: and-break actuator (in this instance represented by elements I8I) can be arranged to operate di-"' rectly upon switch I19, I11 and switch I18, I16: dispensed with. The operation will be as al-, ready described. That is to say, the circuit or} coil I53 of timer motor 69 will not be energized t until switch I19, I 11 is closed by the synchronizer and such closure will coincidently close the circult of relay coil I85 and hold switch I19, I11 closed and unaifected by elements I8! until the cycle of unit A is again to be initiated.

By means of this invention there is thus provided a synchronous controller the cycle of which can be changed at will without the necessity of changing the speed of rotation of the control shaft, as by changing gears or otherwise. It will also be apparent that the described synchronizer is equally effective in connection with non-synchronous controllers of other types than the one herein shown and described for purposes of illustration.

The following is claimed:

1. In a trafiic signal controller for controlling the green, amber and red signals on each street of an intersection having two or more streets,

comprising an individual control unit for each street, each control unit including an intermittently operated timer motor operable when energized to move from initial position through a cycle to successively control the green, amber arid red signals on its street, and means responsive to the display of the red signal of one unit for supplying current to the green signal of another unit and, in parallel, to the timer motor circuit of such other unit, the improvement which comprises {fa holding circuit in parallel with the said timer motor circuit; a relay in said holding circuit; la switch responsive to the energization of the said In any case, the superseding conrelay and controlling both the holding circuit and the said timer motor circuit; an actuator adapted for energizing said relay; and a continuously operating synchronous motor for operating said actuator at equal intervals representing submultiples of the time cycle of the controller.

2. In a trafiic signal controller for controlling the green, amber and red signals on each street of V an intersection having two or more streets, comprising an individual control unit for each street, each control unit including an intermittently operated timer motor operable when energized to move from initial position through a cycle to successively control the green, amber and red signals on its street, and means responsive to the display of the red signal of one unit for supplying current to the green signal of another unit and, in parallel, to the timer motor circuit of such other unit, the improvement which comprises: a switch in the timer motor circuit of said other unit, said switch being biased to open-circuit position; a continuously operating synchronous motor; a shaft driven by the synchronous motor having at least one element positioned to close said switch at equal intervals representing sub-multiples of the time cycle of the controller; a relay adapted to be energized in response to closure of said switch; and a timer motor holding circuit controlled by said relay.

3. In a traffic signal controller for controlling the green, amber and red signals on each street of an intersection having two or more streets, comprising an individual control unit for each street.

a each control unit including an intermittently operated timer motor operable when energized to move from initial position througha cycle to successively control the green, amber and red signals on its street, and means responsive to the display of the red signal of one unit for supplying current to the green signal of another unit and, in parallel, to the timer motor circuit of such other unit, the improvement which comprises: a switch in the timer motor circuit of said other unit, said switch being biased to open-circuit position; a continuously operatingv synchronous motor; a reduced speed shaft driven by the synchronous motor having a plurality of equally spaced elements positioned to close said switch at equal intervals representing sub-multiples of the time cycle of the controller; a relay adapted to be ener gized in response to closure of said switch; and a timer motor holding circuit controlled by said relay.

JOHN J. ALLES.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Brandenborger Sept. 11, 1934 

